Area Development
Civica Inc., a nonprofit generic drug company, will establish a new laboratory testing facility at Meadowville Technology Park in Chesterfield County, Virginia. The $27.8 million project is expected to create 51 jobs.

The company will construct a 55,000-square-foot facility to support its Petersburg pharmaceutical manufacturing operation through quality testing and development of new products. In addition, Civic will host a scale-up manufacturing facility operated by Virginia Commonwealth University’s Medicines for All Institute.

“With this investment, Civica is building on its long-term commitment to patients, and to Virginia,” said Ned McCoy, Civica’s President and CEO. “This lab will support a skilled and highly trained workforce who will ensure Civica’s affordable insulin as well as other essential medicines meet the highest standards.”.

The construction of the lab will be supported by an award from the U.S. Economic Development Administration to the Alliance for Building Better Medicine, a coalition that aims to expand essential medicines manufacturing in the Richmond-Petersburg region. Civica will provide matching capital..

“Civica’s investment is another transformational step forward in strengthening the advanced pharmaceutical?manufacturing hub in the Richmond-Petersburg region and positioning Virginia as a key player in domestic drug manufacturing in America,” added Governor Glenn Youngkin. “Civica is a critical partner in the Commonwealth’s emerging pharmaceutical ecosystem that will ensure access to affordable, lifesaving medications while providing high-quality jobs and an incredible boost to our economy.”.

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) worked with Chesterfield County to secure the project and Youngkin approved a $400,000 grant to the county for assistance. The Virginia Talent Accelerator Program will help with recruitment and training for the new jobs. In addition, Chester-based Brightpoint Community College has created a training program to help people gain qualifications for manufacturing technician jobs at the upcoming Civica Petersburg plant.

“Civica’s new laboratory testing facility in Chesterfield County extends the footprint of the rapidly growing pharmaceutical manufacturing cluster in the region and will support the coalition’s long-term vision to serve as the world’s central access point for advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing and R&D,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Caren Merrick. “Today we celebrate Virginia’s vital role in addressing the shortage of affordable essential medicines in our nation and the investment in a new facility that will create high-paying jobs and accelerate research and innovation in the industry.”

Civica Rx is a nonprofit generic drug company founded in 2018 by national philanthropies and leading U.S. health systems to reduce and prevent drug shortages in the United States and the price spikes that can accompany them.